The cucumber is indigenous to East India, but is now cultivated in all countries. It is a plant which develops vines which often run to great distances. The cucumber is used almost exclusively in its green state, and the very young cucumbers are most highly prized for making pickles, though all sizes are used for that purpose, from the very smallest to the giant variety. The number of varieties cultivated is extremely great. The variety known as the gherkin is highly prized for pickling.
Composition of the Cucumber.—
| Water, | 95.99 | percent |
| Ash, | .46 | „ |
| Protein, | .81 | „ |
| Fiber, | .69 | „ |
| Starch, sugar, etc., | 1.83 | „ |
| Fat, | .22 | „ |
The above data show that the cucumber is not much more than solid water, there being just enough of other material to give it a flavor and consistence.
Egg Plant.
—Another vegetable which is highly prized for the table is the egg plant, Solanum melongena L. French, aubergine; German, Eierpflanze; Italian, petronciano; Spanish, berengena.
The egg plant is indigenous to India. Its name is derived from the shape of some of its varieties, though many of them have ceased to resemble the egg in appearance. There is a large number of varieties, but the one which is known as the white egg plant looks more like an egg both in shape and color than most of the others.
Composition.—
| Water, | 92.93 | percent |
| Ash, | .50 | „ |
| Protein, | 1.15 | „ |
| Fiber, | .77 | „ |
| Starch, sugar, etc., | 4.34 | „ |
| Fat, | .31 | „ |
The egg plant is a highly succulent vegetable containing only a little more than 7 percent of solid matter, and this is chiefly sugar, starch, and other digestible carbohydrates.